The Backyard Barbeque Remains a Summer Institution

BBQ used to mean one thing: Hot dogs and hamburgers cooked on an outdoor grill. Backyard chefs today are experimenting with different barbecue techniques. They’re slow-cooking meats, smoking meats, and even making desserts on the grill.

According to David Kamen, associate professor at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, BBQ is popular in the U.S. for two reasons. The first is the perception that is it healthy. Americans today are nutritionally aware. Grilling is a cooking method that doesn’t require fat, and it is a way of rendering away fat, so it has a healthy aura.

The second thing is the bold flavors. One of the trends we’re seeing in the food world is bolder, stronger, richer flavors. And grilling is a great way to capture that flavor. Grilling uses intense direct heat that creates dramatic, dark browning, or in the case of fruits and vegetables—caramelization, and that’s where a lot of the flavor develops. When we grill we get more of a smoky, charred flavor than we can in a sauté pan or an oven.

One of the latest trends in grilling is that people are slowing down the cooking method by using a lower heat or indirect heat such as having the coals on one side and the food on the other side. Traditional southern BBQ involves cooking ribs, brisket, or pork shoulder, typically less tender items. In order for a tough piece of meat to get tender, you have to cook it slower. People are also experimenting more with smoking, which can be achieved simply by throwing a handful of wood chips on the fire to get that smoky flavor going.

No one type of grill is better than another, but consideration should be given to the actual grill rods or cooking surface. The rods should be made out of heavy-duty cast iron, because cast iron gets very hot and holds the heat giving your food a really good sear. Choosing between gas and charcoal is a personal preference. Charcoal will give you more of a smoky flavor. Gas will have a more neutral one.

Tools can be relatively simple--a long pair of tongs and a metal spatula. Some people use a fork, but that can poke holes in your food causing you to lose that all-important juiciness.

The following recipe is courtesy of the National BBQ Association

Easy Three-Cup Barbecue Sauce

Combine the following liquids:

          1 cup water
          1/2 cup cider vinegar
          1/4 cup canola oil
          1/4 cup Worchester sauce
          1/4 cup lemon juice
          1 tablespoon honey
          2 dashes of Tabasco Sauce

Add the following items:

          1 onion, finely chopped
          4 cloves of minced garlic
          2 cups of ketchup
          1/3 cup of dark brown packed sugar
            (can substitute molasses)
          1 tablespoon of chili powder
          1 tablespoon of ground cumin
          Optional:  Chopped Jalapeño pepper with seeds removed.

Directions:

            •Pour contents into sauce pan and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes until solution thickens.
            • Strain contents through fine mesh and adjust seasonings to taste: salt/pepper/etc.
            • Use immediately or refrigerate up to a week.

Trends in Outdoor Living

For homeowners today, it is now “in” to be “out”! Outside that is--cooking, entertaining, reading, relaxing and even working. We’re talking “outdoor living” and it’s the biggest trend in homeownership in years. Higher fuel prices are expected to further drive this trend as we continue to stay closer to home for our entertainment and relaxation needs.

This outdoor living trend is turning everyday homeowners into exterior decorators. Their focus is on decorating the outside of the home on the deck, the patio and all around their property using high-end fabrics, exterior lighting, cozy couches that double as beds, and container garden to add spots of color throughout the yard. They are also adding garden art and knick-knacks to their outdoor spaces to give their property its very own “personality”. Our backyards and patios now serve as playgrounds, living rooms, kitchens, home offices and havens.

To turn your home decorating style inside out, here are a few trends in outdoor living:

Homeowners are adding their personal signature to their backyards. There has been a shift in focus from inside the home to the outdoors, and consumers are buying “enhancements” to add to their outdoor lifestyles like stainless steel specialty grills, plasma screen outdoor televisions and entertainment “tents.”

Less is still more. The key this season is to garden with style and simple elegance. Buy two or three focal pieces and then work your garden around them. Instead of lots of mediocre “stuff,” think smaller quality “spots” around the yard.

As lot sizes shrink and people downsize their homes, consumers are gardening more in less space, on patios and decks, on rooftops and, of course, in containers. Vertical gardening is in, growing either up or down from balconies or on patios.

Container gardening has stepped off the back porch and patio and moved into the landscape, showing up in beds and borders or standing alone like an eye-catching exclamation point. Busy homeowners find decorating their yard with “spots of pots” an easy way to splash color throughout the yard.

We have left the cocoon and are now ready for bold adventures. Cottage gardens are safe and comfortable. Zen gardens are edgy. Use plants with great architecture and texture to make a bold statement against a stark background. Use lots of red, purple and gold to enliven the yard. To make a stylish statement use clashing colors like corals and pinks.
 
Busy gardeners want plants that are colorful and easy to grow, and few plants fit that bill better than big, bold and beautiful leaf plants. They scream high style and sophistication, providing all-season color for sunny or shady spots. From simple accents to exotic focal points, these beauties offer high impact choices for almost any garden spot. With striking foliage in an eye-catching, multicolor pattern, iresine and coleus have excellent garden appeal. Tropical plants are ideal for large mixed containers or combination plantings, where they strut their stuff without getting lost among other varieties.
 
Well-mixed containers are not completely out, but plants in too many colors and textures can look the same as wearing plaids, stripes and prints together.” Plant several of one variety per container or several different varieties, all in one color family, per pot. Then group colorful containers together to create an avalanche of copious color.

Ferns, snake plants and palms aren’t for your grandmother’s parlor any longer. Homes with lots of open space and sun porches are being filled with houseplants. Many houseplants do double duty -- indoors during cold weather and moved to decorate the deck or patio in the summer.

Water gardening, which dropped about 27% last year as an in-ground activity, is now popping up in other forms, containers and fountains. The trend is to keep sound, motion and water in the garden, but in a simplistic, beautiful, and easy way. Fountains and container water gardens are all the rage, creating motion, sound and beauty- all at the same time-effortlessly.

Reflecting society’s current enthusiasm for healthy eating and a desire for fresh, flavorful fruits and vegetables, vegetable gardening is coming back into fashion. Herbs and veggies are being grown alone or mixed in containers.

Resource: Garden Media Group

The thickness of chain link wire is measured in gauge and the mesh is measured in inches. The lower the gauge number, the thicker the wire. A higher inch number means a larger mesh. An 11.5 gauge chain link is perfect for residential fencing. 2-1/4 or 2-3/8 inch mesh is ideal for most yards, especially those with kids and dogs! 1-1/4 inch mesh is best for heavy duty kennels and swimming pools (usually required by code).